Remote control for television and radio apparatus



May 20, 1958 D. A. M. SANSOTTA 2,835,736

REMOTE conmor. FOR TELEVISION AND RADIO APPARATUS Filed May 24, 1954 VINVENTOR. DOME NICK 4-H SAUSOTT H United States Patent D REMOTE CONTROLFOR TELEVISION AND RADIG APPARATUS Domenick A. M. Sansotta, Pittsburgh,Pa.

Application May 24, 1954, Serial No. 431,713

1 Claim. (Cl. 179--1) This invention relates to a remote control device,and while primarily intended for use in connection with a televisionreceiving apparatus because of the fact that the cost of the latterusually precludes having more than one such apparatus in the ordinaryhome, it will be obvious that the device may be employed in connectionwith radio receivers, phonographs, or any other type of soundreproduction apparatus wherein it is found to be applicable.

Important object and advantages of the invention are to provide a remotecontrol device of the character described which aifords efficient meansfor receiving and controlling the transmitted sounds at locations remotefrom the location of the television receiving apparatus to which it isconnected, which may be readily attached to a conventional type oftelevision apparatus without requiring any changes to the constructionand arrangement of the latter, which may be used and operatedindependently of the loud speaker of the television apparatus orsimultaneously with the loud speaker, and which may be readilyconstructed to accommodate any desired number of listeners at the remotelocation.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of the classstated, which may be attached to a television apparatus by any one ofordinary skill, which is simple in its construction and arrangement,compact, positive in its action, and comparatively economical in itsmanufacture, installation and maintenance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts herein specifically described andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood thatchanges in the form, proportions and details of construction may beresorted to that come within the scope of the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure'l is a diagrammatic View illustrating one arrangement of theelectrical circuits employed in the operation of the remote controldevice.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the portable control boxembodied in the invention.

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the control box.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a headphone used in connection with theremote control device.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a special plug element employed when theremote control device is disconnected from its attachment with thetelevision receiving apparatus.

Referring in detail to the drawing 1 and 2 respectively designate theloud speaker mechanism and the tuner mechanism of a conventionaltelevision receiving apparatus 3. Usually the speaker and tunermechanisms are joined by a pair of electrical conductors, which areattached to the speaker mechanism and have a detachable socketconnection with the associated tuner mechanism.

In the present invention, the pair of conductors 4 and 5 that areattached to the speaker mechanism 1 and the 2,835 13 Patented May" 20,1958 pair of conductors 6 and 7 that are attached to the plugin socket 8connecting with the audio output circuit of the tuner mechanism 2,instead of being joined together in the usual manner respectivelyconnect with. a four hole socket block 9. The socket block 9 ispreferably rigidly attached at any suitable position to the televisionreceiving apparatus 3.

Parts of the electric circuits incorporated in the remote controldevice, together with associated control elements, are housed in andcarried by a suitably small portable control box 10 which includes afront panel 11.

A flexible extension cable 12 of any required length is provided forjoining the television receiving apparatus 3 with the control box 10 andembodies four separate conductors, respectively indicated at 13, 14, 15,and 16, which have their ends connected with respective plug blocks 17and 18. The plug block 17 has a detachable plugged-in attachment withthe socket block 9 which is carried by the television receivingapparatus 3, and the plug block 18 has a plugged-in attachment with anadapted socket block 19 which is preferably rigidly attached to the backwall 20 of the control box 10.

It is evident that when the plug blocks 17 and 13 are engaged inrespective socket blocks 9 and 19, the speaker mechanism 1 and the tunermechanism 2 are joined with the control box 10 to connect with thevarious operating circuits that are mounted within the control box andwhich connect with the socket block 19.

The speaker circuit consists of the conductor 20 connecting with thesocket block 19, the double pole switch 21, conductors 22,23, 24,rheostat 25 ,conductors 26, 27, 28, the double pole switch 21, and theconductor 29 connecting with the socket block 19.

The tuner circuit consists of the conductor 39 connecting with thesocket block 19, conductors .23, 24, rheostat 25, conductors 26, 27, andthe conductor 31 connecting with the socket block 19.

The headphone circuit consists of the conductors 30, 23, 32, the singlepole switch 33, and conductors 34 and 35 to the headphone sockets 36,and the conductors 31, 27 and 37 to the headphone sockets 38, with theconductors 24 and 26 connecting the rheostat 25 in the headphonecircuit. The sockets 36 and 38 are aligned in pairs with each pair beingadapted to engage a conventional two prong type of plug 39 that isconnected with the headphone 40.

It will be evident that any desired number of such associated pairs ofheadphone sockets 36 and 38 may be connected in the headphone circuit toadapt the remote control device for use by a corresponding number ofindividual headphones. Further, sockets 41, adapted to be engaged by tipjack types of connecting plugs, may be connected in the head phonecircuit if desired.

The headphone 40 may be of the conventional construction now in commonuse, or may be constructed to embody a sound volume control 42 for theheadphone and with an individual control switch 43.

A suitable interconnected four prong plug 44 is employed for engagementin the socket block 9 to join the conductors 4 and 5 with respectiveconductors 6 and 7 to restore the television receiving apparatus for usein the ordinary manner when the remote control device is detached fromthe socket block 9.

The switches 21 and 33, the rheostat 25, and the sockets 36, 38, and 40are all mounted on the box front panel 11 in a manner to allow the useof and permit adjusting operations of these elements from the outer faceof the box panel.

In practice, the use of the improved remote control device is asfollows: The plug blocks 17 and 18 are engaged in respective socketblocks 9 and 19, whereby the television receiving apparatus 1 isattached to the conparatus 3 is switched on, and the tuner mechanism 2is adjusted in the usual manner to provide the desired sound volumethrough the speaker mechanism 1. Assuming that the headphone 40' isplugged into an associated pair of sockets 36, 38, and if the switch 33is closed, sound reception will be had through both the speakermechanism 1 in the usual manner and through the headphone 40. By openingthe double pole switch 21, the speaker mechanism 1 is silenced, butsound reception will be had through the headphone.

By the adjustment of the rheostat 25, the sound volume through both thespeaker mechanism 1 and through the headphone 40 may be controlledwithin the limits of the sound volume to which the tuner, mechanism 2has been originally adjusted at the television receiving apparatus. Inother words, the rheostat 25 may be ad lusted to decrease the soundvolume of the speaker mechanism 1 and of the headphone 40, but will notfunction to increase the sound volume beyond the volume to which thetuner mechanism 2 has been previously adjusted.

The most important and novel feature of the invention is the provisionof the described remote control device that may be selectively employedto independently regulate the sound volume of the speaker mechanism 1,within the limits above stated, at locations remote from the location ofthe television receiving apparatus, or to simultaneously operate andcontrol the speaker mechanism and the headphone, or to silence thespeaker mechanism 1 completely and operate and control the headphoneindependently of the speaker mechanism 1. When the remote control deviceis disconnected from the television receiving apparatus, the latter isrestored for use in the conventional manner by the use of the plug block44 as herein stated.

The present invention provides a most eflficient device of its kind,which may be economically constructed, and

4 successfully employed for the purposes and in the manner herein setforth.

What I claim is:

A remote control device for an electrically-operated sound reproducingapparatus including a speaker circuit and an audio output circuit,comprising, in combination, a four socket element carried by theapparatus and being connected respectively in the speaker circuit and inthe audio output circuit of the apparatus, a control box apart from theapparatus, a four socket member carried by said control box, a speakercontrol circuit housed in said box and being connected with one pair ofsockets of said socket member, an audio output control circuit housed insaid box and connected with the other pair of sockets of said socketmember, a double pole switch connected in said speaker control circuit,a rheostat connected in both the speaker control circuit and in saidaudio output control circuit in said box, a headphone circuit housed insaid box, a single pole switch connected in said headphone circuit, apair of headphone sockets carried by said box and being connected insaid headphone circuit, a flexible four-conductor extension cable, afour plug element attached to one end of said cable for contactingengagement in said socket element of the apparatus, a four plug memberattached to the other end of said cable for contacting engagement insaid socket member of said box, the engagement of said plug element insaid socket element and the engagement of said plug member with saidsocket member simultaneously connecting the speaker circuit of theapparatus with the speaker control circuit of said box and the audiooutput control circuit of the apparatus with the audio output controlcircuit in said Rogers Oct. 21, 1947 Skene Mar. 27, 1951

